Lemon and Pasta Soup with Roasted Vegetables


 
The recipe for this thick, soothing soup comes from 
Laura Brennen, the talented chef/owner of Café Umbra 
in Boston's South End. Brennan makes the soup with 
spinach and mushrooms, but you can use virtually any 
vegetable you like. The basic soup is a chicken broth 
enriched with saffron, lemon, egg, Parmesan, garlic, 
celery, and a small bit of orzo or tiny pasta. Vegetables 
are then roasted until just tender and placed in the 
center of the thick, lemon-scented broth. You could also 
use red pepper, chopped tomato, leeks, or any thinly 
sliced garden vegetable.            

Kathy made this dish on WBUR's Here and Now on 
Wednesday March 5th, 2003.

Ingredients – Soup

6 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade, or low-sodium canned
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Pinch saffron, optional
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, peeled and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1/2 cup orzo, tubbettini or tiny soup pasta
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese

Ingredients – Vegetables

1 large red onion, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 portabellas, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 pound asparagus, ends trimmed, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup baby spinach leaves, optional


Directions

1.	Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2.	In a medium pot, heat the chicken broth over moderate heat. Season with 
salt and pepper. Add the saffron and garlic and simmer 2 minutes. Add the 
pasta and cook 4 minutes. Add the celery and cook another 4 minutes; 
cover and remove from the heat.

3.	In a large roasting pan mix the onions, 1 tablespoon of the oil and salt and 
pepper and roast 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, thyme, asparagus, 
remaining olive oil, salt and pepper; roast another 15 minutes. Add the 
spinach and roast 5 minutes, tossing the vegetables well.

4.	Meanwhile beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the lemon juice, parmesan 
cheese, salt and pepper. Add a ladleful of the hot broth to the egg mixture 
and whisk. Add the egg mixture back to the soup, whisking constantly to 
avoid letting the eggs scramble. Taste for seasoning and add salt and 
pepper as needed; do not let the soup vigorously boil. It should be at a low 
simmer.

5.	To serve: spoon half a bowlful of soup into a large soup bowl. Add a 
generous portion of the roasted vegetables into the middle of the bowl and 
serve hot. Serves 4 to 6.




If you are looking for more recipes like this one,
try Kathy Gunst's book Relax, Company's 
Coming!

Available on Amazon